The present invention is directed to an improved hinge plate for a refrigerator and particularly to a hinge plate mountable on a refrigerator at a location where the external wrapper partially overlies the support frame for the refrigerator. The improved hinge plate further includes an integral hinge pin and cam, and a pair of integrally formed ribs for enhanced strength.
The use of a hinge plate in a refrigerator which includes an upright pin and a cam mechanism for providing a plurality of door positions is well known.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,090,274, Bourgeois, discloses a typical known hinge plate assembly. An L-shaped cabinet bracket is secured to a refrigerator cabinet. A lower hinge bushing which includes a plurality of upwardly projecting equally circumferentially spaced cam lobes is secured to the L-bracket using a threaded fastener. A hinge pin projects upwardly from the lower hinge bushing and is received within an upper hinge bushing which is secured to the refrigerator door. A drawback to the hinge plate as shown is the inability to mount the L-shaped bracket to the refrigerator at the line where the wrapper terminates and adjoins the deck rails, without use of shims. An additional drawback is the number of parts required to provide the complete assembly, which adds not only to inventory tracking requirements, but labor costs as well.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,628,845, Grimm, discloses another typical hinge plate assembly. A hinge plate includes a horizontal leg and a vertical leg, and a combination hinge pin and cam which is inserted into a hole through the horizontal leg and secured thereto by brazing or other known securing means. The hinge pin inserts into an upper bearing member secured to the refrigerator door. A disadvantage to the design is the inability to mount the plate to the refrigerator at the line where the wrapper terminates and adjoins the deck rails, without use of shims. An additional drawback is the number of parts required to provide the complete assembly, and the labor required for assembly.
Whirlpool publication No. 1124801, dated July 1992, discloses another previous hinge plate assembly. An L-shaped metal hinge plate includes a horizontal leg and a vertical leg. A metal hinge pin is secured to the horizontal leg by known means. Upper and lower cams are secured to the refrigerator door and the hinge plate, respectively, by threaded fasteners. The hinge plate is mounted to the refrigerator, with a resilient shim inserted behind the hinge plate to compensate for the height difference between the external wrapper and the support frame. A disadvantage to the design is the inability to mount the plate to the refrigerator at the line where the wrapper terminates and adjoins the support frame, without use of shims. An additional drawback is the number of parts required to provide the complete assembly, and the labor required for assembly.